Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1887-12-07
The Widows DaughtoS-.

In the winter of 1864, while a por-
tion of my regiment, the New York
Twenty-fifth Cavalry, was at Pleasant
Valley, Nd, to obtain a remount,
word was received by the post COM
mander that a Confederate scout
named William Baxter but who was
known TO us as "Billy Bowlegs," was
on visit to his mother who lived be-
tween the Potomac at that point and a
village in Virginia called Uniontown.
There were a number of Colonel
kane's ''Bucktails'' scouting for the
Federals and making Pleasant Valley
their headquarters, and as L had been
detailed on several occasions for scout
, service, and had made a good record l
was instructed to select five men and
cross the river and secure ''Bllly" dead
or alive. The fact that he was at home
was fully established, and the location
of the farm house was known to two
of the men who accompanied me. We
were ferrled across the Potomac one
evening at dusk just where the long
highway bridge had been burned and
miles to make.
Although "Bnly BowleGs'' was a
| fearless man and a handy shot, we
capture him. The country between
the river and Uniontown was then
overrun with bushwhackers and guer-
rillas, and we anticipated more or less
trouble with them.
The scout had been twice captured
| by the Federals. and he was described
| to us as of slender build, medium
| height, fair complexion and dark eyes.
| Enough was known about his nerve to
know that he would not be taken alive
If he had any show TO fight, and there
fore as we approached the house about
midnight from across a field we were
| anXiously wondering how we should
| get at him. If we knocked at the
| door he would be alarmed and have
time to arm himself If we broke in
We might and probably should find him
In bed. 1t was a still. clear night,
rather cold, and we hung about for
half an hour before adopting a plan.
Then we decided to break in the doors.
Two of us went to the front and two
to the back door, while the fifth man
stood ready to receive the scout in case
he dropped from a second-story win
dow supposed to be in his bedroom.
We crept slowly up, and at signal
both doors were burst. No, they
weren'tl Neither of them gave an
inch under the pressure, and in res
ponse to the efforts we made a woman IS
voice called out:
"Who is it, and what's wantedP''
"Open the door or We'll break 1t
downl''
"Wait one minutel'
She struck light, and We heard her
moving about, and in couple of min
utes the front door opened and a gray
haired woman of Al stood there with a
candle in her hand.
"Union soldiers, eh? Come right
ln," she said smiling as if glad to see
lus.
Iposted three of the men around the
house and entered with the other, and
as soon as L was inside, L said:
Madam, we have come for your son.
We know he Is here. We shall take
. him dead or alive"
"Oh, you have come for Billy, have
youp' exclaimed a girl about Is years
OF age who came running down stair.
at that moment. '-EXcuSe me, gen.
tlemen, for not being fully dressed, bui
. you see you didn't send us any word. ,
She laughed in a merry way, while
the mother smiled good-naturedly. Sh.
had on a neat fitting calIco dress, {
ribbon az her throat, and except tha
her hair looked "tumbled'' she looked
as We'll prepared as if she expected oul
, coming.
"Yes, Jennie, they want Billy" salt